Spread the Word to End the Word {Giveaway}

Today is a special day! Yes, it is hump day but, also its Spread the Word to End the Word. So, what does that mean? 

Basically, all around the United States thousands of individuals have pledged to stop using the 'R-word'. This is to show respect to those with intellectual disabilities and their families and to also promote inclusion for all. 

The R-word has a huge impact and unfortunately over the years it has become a part of our vernacular. Actor, John C. McGinley wrote a beautiful article on Huffington Post that really captures the impact of using the 'R-Word', check it out here. This is such an important cause and I challenge all of you to pledge with this campaign to stop using the 'R-word' and to tell your friends about it. 

Win one of these fabulous shirts for a great cause and take the pledge!

If you've followed this blog for awhile, you'll know that this is one of my favorite causes. I'm truly passionate about equality and the need for inclusion. I have loved working with great organizations like Best Buddies, Special Olympics, and L'Arche throughout my time in college.

The students I have worked with have taught me so much about life. They inspire me to work hard and never stop pursuing my dreams. They inspire me to not label other people and to not let labels hold you back. They are truly some of the kindest kids I've ever met and it is an honor to call them, friends.

Join me and thousands of others in pledging to Spread the Word to End the Word and

enjoy this little giveaway to win a free shirt that you see above! Inclusion is such an important

thing in this world. Have a wonderful day :) 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Best Buds Kind of Weekend

Layers upon layers upon layers!

So, I have had the best couple of days working with Best Buds. For starters, this past Thursday was my first day of the mentorship I have just started working at Rock Creek School in Frederick, MD. The mentorship is every Thursday and I do activities with some buddies from the ARC of Frederick County. 

Working with people with intellectual disabilities is one of my callings. Ever since I got involved Freshmen year it has become one of my passions and I feel so blessed to get the opportunity to work with so many amazing people. On Friday, I got to dance the night away working with L'Arche and it was so awesome. We had a sing along and I learned a new dance move called "The Kate." I love working with that community and am so blessed to work with them once a month. 

And finally one of the events I've been looking forward to was Special Olympics on Saturday! The Mount has been hosting Special Olympics for 25 years so it was a great anniversary, with great athletes, and great competition. I was working on Long Distance running as a timer in the morning, and then I hung out with the power lifters and then helped out at flag football. It was a very chilly day but it was a wonderful experience. 

My favorite moment of the whole day was when the champion power lifter went up on stage, lifted his max weight successfully, and when he put the bar down his coach was right there and he gave her the biggest hug. They stood their embraced as I stood there tearing and it was just the best moment. Its hard for me to even put into words the raw emotion that I felt, but it was so pure and so true and I wish I could bottle it up and give it to you all. 

So, that was a bit of my weekend. 

Super Saturday

Today was a great day. I woke up and my boyfriend made a great breakfast for me! Banana-Chocolate Chip pancakes-- yum :) Then, we volunteered at the Humane Society in Salisbury with our fave double-date couple and had a really awesome time! 

It was such a great experience and a rush of emotion all in one. I wish I could find homes for all of those animals! It is such an injustice for the animals to be kept in cages and it really angers me. We met some great little friends and I can't even tell you how many cats we held!

Bonding with the kitty-cats!

Above, are pictures of Chad and I with Franky. We walked through the room that held all of the dogs and Franky caught both Chad and I's eye. *he was just patiently laying by the door looking at the people walking by*  Franky has a small birth defect which has made his paw bent upwards, and unusable. But, that doesn't stop him from going on walks and being an ordinary/friendly pup. One of the workers said he has been there since he was a puppy and that made me even more mad, because he is such a well-abled and friendly dog. If it wasn't for the 21-year old age cap and the pet-free dorm I live in I would I have adopted him on the spot. 

 After, we left the Humane Society and met my parents at Chad's apartment! My younger sister was checking out Salisbury and seeing if she liked the school. We had lunch at Market Street Inn, I would definitely recommend this place! The pub was decorated in so many funny jingles and was a great place to hang out! It will definitely be a place, we will have to visit again when Chad and I are both 21. 

Unfortunately, my day in Salisbury had to come to an end! I rode home with my parents and made a delicious Apple Crisp. But, this time I used an apple-peeler-corer-slicer!! Instead of spending 30 minutes peeling, coring, and slicing apples... I spent 10 minutes and what a relief it was on my hands and on time! To end the evening I watched "We Bought a Zoo" with my family! It was a cute movie and a great way to end a perfect Saturday!

Pampered Chef Apple- Peeler/Corer/Slicer

I hope you had an excellent Saturday! Remember to set your clocks, 

hope you embrace the extra hour of sleep! 

- Alex  

EJS Service Day

 This past Saturday, some Mount St. Mary's U students (organization: Educators for Justice Society) and I participated in serving the Pen Lucy Action Network's Power in Dirt program. We teamed up with the Ember Cast and Serve the City  for the day, and together made a difference!

We left the mount at 7:20am for our drive into Baltimore. On our way down we noticed that we were only three minutes from the destination site, but we were surrounded by well-landscaped mansions and nice cars. It felt like within a blink of the eye the town's demographics went from rich to poor in a moment.

EJS Team

It was almost unreal how drastic the change was and at the same time I couldn't help but feel angry about it.
There are people in their stone houses and perfectly kept lawns living less than a mile from a community that is in need of some outreach and compassion. But, I channeled my emotions into the project at hand.

So what did we do? There are nearly 30,000 abandoned properties in Baltimore City (Facts). We worked with Power in Dirt and helped the beginning stages of transforming an unused lot into a pretty park.

STC, Ember, and EJS 

We cleared up excess dirt, picked up trash, raked leaves, dug up concrete--all to prepare to build a fence around the lot. The main rep from Power in Dirt explained that when he first started working on the lot the grass was out of control, their was a lot of trash, and they had to clear a couple tons of dead tree from the back of the lot. Talk about a drastic change in appearance!

We also drilled the holes, leveled and put up the fence, and mowed the lawn. The lot started looking more and more complete as the day went on. It was very rewarding seeing the fence completed at the end of the day.

But, before we left to go back to The Mount we walked 2 blocks to a local park. We checked out the local neighborhood and made some observations on our way. For me, this was probably the best part of the day. I love to look around at the environment and see what community I'm serving. We then had a really great discussion about the day and how we felt about the work we did. It was nice hearing from my fellow members and other volunteers on their thoughts about the project!

Overall, this was probably one of the best Saturdays I have had in awhile! I can't wait to see what the park looks like when its finished!

Please, keep the Pen Lucy Community and Power in Dirt in your prayers 

as they finish the park. 

Thanks STC and Ember Cast for giving MSM's EJS 

a great opportunity to make a difference.

- Alex